Cook Around the Globe, hosted by German Mama of Arepas to Zwetschgen, invited us to explore the cuisines of the Arabian Peninsula for the month of September. I started out looking at cookies because I thought I would challenge myself and cook up some cookies, something I don’t do (story for another time). However, one of the cookie recipes mentioned Arabian tea which caught my interest since I have been on a quest for the best of the best in teas for a few years now.
Five years ago my taste buds changed and coffee started tasting bitter to me so I switched to tea. It may not sound like a big deal, but you have to know that when you’re raised in Louisiana, you are weaned off baby’s milk and onto French roast coffee with chicory. Therefore, I had been drinking coffee A LONG TIME, so switching to tea was a BIG deal. However, it’s been a fun adventure. I’ve discovered so many new wonderful tastes, smells, and flavors by experimenting with different brands and types of teas.
In my research, I found that tea is an important drink in the Arabian Peninsula. In some countries it’s served at business meetings, with breakfast, after lunch, and with dinner. Throughout the Arabian Peninsula tea is a hospitality drink that is served to one’s guests. Apparently, refusal to accept the tea could be considered an insult. But why would anyone refuse?
Here are some of the tea combinations I found, and I hope I’m at least close to the real thing. From what I found, people of the Arabian Peninsula mostly drink black tea. However, green tea is starting to catch on, probably due to its health benefits.
Yemen Tea
Black tea normally brewed with cardamom, clove and/or mint.
Qatari Tea
Black Tea brewed with sugar cubes, and then topped off with evaporated milk.
Kuwaiti Tea
Black tea with cardamom, saffron, and sugar
Saudi Arabian Tea
Black tea brewed with sugar then poured into tall slender glass and filled to the brim.
Arabic Tea
Black tea with fresh sage or mint and a little sugar. This is the tea I’m featuring since I have both fresh sage and mint in the herb garden. I loved them both but the sage tea was my favorite! I believe it’s going to become one of my regulars.
Arabic Tea Recipe
For each cup of tea
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon loose black tea leaves
3 large sage leaves or a sprig of mint
sugar or honey to taste (I prefer honey)
Brewing Instructions
- Bring water to boil. Remove from heat and let sit for about 30 seconds.
- Place the tea leaves and sage or mint leaves in an infuser over a cup. *
- Pour the water through the tea and herbs.
- Let steep for 5 minutes.
- Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey.
*I use an infuser from Mighty Leaf Tea that fits every cup in my cupboard.
This post has been hooked up to the following blog hops. Please be sure to visit and check out all of the wonderful recipes.
Mix it Up Monday!, Breakfast Ideas Monday, Gluten-Free Wednesdays
The Versatile Blogger Award
Last spring my husband convinced me to start a food blog. At the time I had no idea what food blogging was all about and I certainly didn’t know how HUGE it was! So since I was looking for something new and exciting to do that was related to my passion for cooking, I jumped in head first.
One of the first great bloggers that I met, was Manuela of Manu’s Menu. If you haven’t visited her site, then you definitely should! Her food and food photography will cause you to put on a few pounds by just looking at it. Even though I only know her virtually, it is easy to see that she is a wonderful person, mother, wife, and chef. So I was very flattered when Manuela notified me that she had awarded me The Versatile Blogger Award! Thank you Manuela!
There are three conditions on receiving this award. One is to thank the blogger that gave it to you, to share 7 things about yourself, and then to pass this award on to 15 new bloggers, being sure to contact them and let them know!
Thank you again my dear friend Manuela of Manu’s Menu!
Seven (7) things about me:
- I greet everyone with a smile and most people smile back.
- Somewhere on my desk is a plaque that says “A cluttered desk is the mark of genius.”
- I work best when I have a deadline.
- I have been working on a cookbook for the past 30 years. Someone give me a deadline – Please!
- I’m not a morning person, but breakfast is my favorite meal. I eat a lot of brunches.
- I always save the best bite of a meal for the last bite of the meal.
- I
hatedislike the word “blog”, but I haven’t figured out how to get around it!
Now to pass this award on to 15 new bloggers. I’m not sure how new they are, but they are all new to me and I like their sites for a variety of reasons.
Two of these bloggers were awarded by Manuela at the same time I received my award, but I can’t leave them out because of that. So Giulia and Ray and all the other bloggers, I just want to say thank you for your support and friendship, and for sharing your recipes, thoughts, and culture with the rest of the world – that goes for you too, Manuela! I love visiting all of your virtual spaces! (Remember #7?)
Giulia of Alterkitchen
Ray of Wok with Ray
Sally of Tasty Easy Healthy Green
Monica of The Yummy Life
Suzi of Cooking’s Good
Karen of Off the Meat Hook
Ramya of The Mistress of Spices
Natalie of The Wooden Spoon
Tes of Tes at Home
Jo of Jo Cooks
Peachie of Peaches and Donuts
Ruth of Bread and Milk and Blackberries
Bev of Bev Pawlowski
I love your infused tea. Must be fragrant!
I definitely was fragrant! I love the smell of sage – or any herb for that matter!
YOUR GREEN CHILE SAUCE WAS TERRIFIC!!!!!!!! I made a big pot of it to use up a bag of anaheims and poblanos. I made enchiladas with some leftover turkey bits and pieces in the freezer. I was having an issue getting flavor into the filling. No matter what I did it seemed a little bland. I poured your green chile sauce over them and baked, and, Voila! Absolutely delicious! I plan to make another batch of sauce and freeze it for the next time I want a super TxMex meal or need something to save the day. Thank you MJ!
THANK YOU! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment.
Thank you so much for the award! I will have to think of folks to pass it on to… too bad I can’t pass it back to you.
I agree with Karen, I would pass it back to you as well. Thank you MJ, you are wonderful. Love the tea, I have never tried putting sage leaves in tea I will have to try that.
@karen and @Suzi Thanks!!
Thank you very much, MJ for thinking of me and it’s an honor to be included in your list. I love how you arranged those tea cups and you’ve got a perfect angle on the shots.
Wishing you a very enjoyable week!
~ ray ~
Thanks for stopping by my blog and for your lovely comment. I like your photographs very much and your posts are so interesting. I was reading your Preserved Lemons recipe and now I have to go make it. Thanks.
I LOVE this post! I am a coffee person but have been drinking more tea since meeting my husband… for obvious reasons! hehehe
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THANK YOU so much for all the great things you wrote about me MJ!!! <3 <3 <3 I really appreciate it!!!
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And I loved reading more about you… my desk is always really cluttered too!!! hehehe
omgosh, love tea. don’t think I could give up coffee but I am a sucker for a tea + milk concoction. We had green tea lattes in Korea that I was hooked on. The drought hasn’t killed my sage and mint so I will give this a try!. Congrats on your award
Love green tea lattes, chai lattes, pretty much any type of latte!
Hope you like the tea.
Oh my God! I know about the deadline! You are just like me… I will keep things forever on my desk until I felt the deadline coming
Congrats on the award and thanks for sharing it with me
Thanks and you’re welcome Tes! I do love your website!
Thank you, MJ!!! For the award and especially for your kind words
I love your travel through teas… I love tea, too, and sometimes my friends bring it to me from their travels! I have original UK one, Hong Kong one and so on…
But my favorite is always the Earl Grey.. It’s a classic
You’re most welcome Darlin! I, too like Earl Grey, but as a starter. I always start with a cup of black tea, then switch to green tea of which Jasmine is my favorite. During the day I eventually move to white tea then herbal. I drink a LOT of tea!
Hai MJ… We drink tea every afternoon, breakfast and lunch here in Turkey…
) Like this article.. thx for sharing it and thx for that great tea recipe.. love it!
xoxo
My husband is THE tea drinker..
God he can have like 8-9 cups in a day…
This looks fantastic, I am sure he will love this.
You have a very nice site, thanks for stopping by at mine otherwise I would’nt have found yours…
Hi MJ!! Thanks so much for passing the award to me.
I’m honoured to be included amongst an amazing group of bloggers.
I’ve never heard of a sage infused tea before so I shall have to try it soon!
Great idea to post about the different kinds of Arabic tea. I especially like the Middle Eastern mint tea. Thanks for participating in Cook Around the Globe. Hope you join again.
Wow–thanks, MJ! I just got back from an unscheduled blogging break, and this was a fabulous welcome back!
Now I have to go think of 7 things about me…This’ll take me all night.
Thanks so much for the award, MJ! And sorry to be so slow to respond! I just made (and posted) your recipes for calabacitas enchiladas and green chile sauce. They were both fantastic! Thanks for sharing all of your great recipes!
Yum! found you through the 4littlefergusons foodie friday! I love tea as well and def. want to try more. Yours sounds delicious! Do you know how to start growing sage?
http://munchtalk.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by! As you can tell, I’m a tea lover too! To start sage, just buy a little starter plant for your local nursery. Prep the ground in a sunny area with a little potting soil and stick the plant in the ground. Water when needed and the plant will blossom to provide you lots and lots of wonderful sage leaves!
How interesting! I’d love you to share this at Breakfast Ideas Mondays – http://www.yummyinspirations.net/2012/05/nutella-cinnamon-porridge-and-breakfast.html
I am a tea lover! Haven’t tried these, but would love too. Saw this on Mix it up Monday, and am now following. Patsy
I loved this post! I drink tea all day and love reading about it too…Thank you so much for sharing at Mix it up Monday
Hi,
Thanks for the info. The Mighty Leaf infuser you linked to looks more like a strainer. Is it really deep and spacious enough for steeping?
I use the MLT infuser in a variety of cups and it works great as a steeper. Big cups, little cups, wide cups, narrow cups – works in all of them. It will work in a pot if the pot is filled to the brim. Thanks for stopping by!!!!
This sounds really interesting! I have never had black tea with sage. Gonna give it a try soon. Hopefully I can still get fresh sage at the store. Thanks for sending this to Tea Tattle Thursday. Hugs xx